Body for automobiles



Dec. 4 1923.

L.B.CASSELL BODY FOR AUTOMOBILES Filed Aug. 28 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 v1 I Z I N V EN TOR.

B'Y r/ a 7 A4 ATTORNEYS.

Dec. 4,1923. 1,476,051

L. B. CASSELL BODY FOR AUTOMOBILES Filed Aug. 28 .?22

2 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR,

BY avg.

ATTORNEY5 Patented Dec. 4, 1923.

PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS B. OA SSELL, OF DECATUR, ILLINOIS.

BODY FOR AUTOMOBILES.

Application filed August 28, 1922. Serial No. 584,798.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I LOUIS B. CASSELL, a citizen of the United tates, and residing at Decatur, in the county of Macon and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Bodies for Automobiles, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanyin drawing, forming part thereof.

My invention relates to that class of automobile bodies which are designed to provide facilities for camping out and'has for its object to materially increase the comforts available for the user and to provide a body in which all of the necessary requirements will be available within the body and avoid the necessity for any exterior structure.

' My means of accomplishing the foregoing may be more readily understood by having reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. 1 is a side view! of an automobile equipped with my improved body.

Fig. 2 is a view showing the top of the body raised ready for the mounting of the curtains.

Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the curtains in position.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail view showing means for securing the supports by which the top is elevated.

Fig. 5 is a fragmenta plan view showing one-half of the body, t e cushions or seats being in place ready' for travelling, and the other half of the body showing the cushions or seats placed in position to form a mattress and ready to receive the bedding. In both of these views the clothes chest and bath tub are out and available for use.

Fig. 6, is a detail view of the post.

Fig. 7 is a view of the body showing the roof raised and ready for the curtains, the cushions or seats being in position and ready to receive the bedding, the lothes chest and bath tub out and the front seat collapsed and out of the way.

Fig. 8 is a similar view of the body showing the cushions in ition, the front seat n place, the bath tub and clothes chest in their 1compartments and the car ready for travel- Fig. 9 is a fragmentary view from the Although I have described a specific means for this purpose it will be apparent to persons skilled in the art that my invention 1s.-

not confined to specific means for holding or raising these supports and that any suitable or desired means for elevating the top 1 and holding the supporting rods in position may be employed and I do not desire to be limited to the specific construction shown and described for this purpose.

Where this type of fitting is used, it is preferable to employ at least two for each support, so as to hold the top securely in position, the fittings 7 are secured to the side walls 9 of the body 2 by means of bolts or rivets 10 or in any other suitable or desired means for this purpose.

I provide means for closing the sides intermediate the top 1 and the body 2 of the car which as shown consists of flexible curtains 25. These curtains are mounted upon rollers 26 which are secured to the topof the car in any suitable or convenient manner. Fastening devices 27 of the usual or standard type serve to hold the curtains in position. In some circumstances it may be found desirable to make this closure completely water tight in which case the top can be removed from the body and when inverted will form a boat.

Unlike the ordinary body in my construction, I provide two comparatively narrow cushions 11 and 1 2 which extend longitudirear cushion 15 forms the back of the seat when the car is ready for travelling, but this cushion is also detachable and fits the track 14: in the same manner that the cushion 13 does. Minute snaps 16 are embedded in the track and corresponding fasteners are placed upon the bottom of the cushions so as to hold them in the desired position.

It will be noted that this arrangement provides for two receptacles 17 and 18 at the rear of the cushions 11 and 12 which are available for storage purposes. These receptacles may be provided with doors 19 upon which a suitable handle 20 -may be mounted.

It will be also noted that this construction provides for a space or compartment beneath the cushion 13 and the cushions 11 and 12. In this compartment under the rear seat or cushion 13 is mounted a portable bath tub 21 which is adapted to contain aclothes chest 22 when not in use. The clothes chest is provided with a top 23 which is provided with a plurality of legs 28 which are mounted upon hinges 29 secured to the top so that they can be folded out of the way. The ends 30 of the legs form shoulders when the legs are folded against the top 23 of the clothes chest 22, which shoulders serve to hold the cover on the chest. \Vhen it is removed and the legs are straightened out as shown in the lower part of Fig. 10, the cover can be used as a table.

It will be apparent that when the bath tub is being used the clothes chest can be placed in a compartment under the rear seat where it will be out of the way when one is bathing. Additional fasteners for the top 23 may be employed for the tub when desired or it may be hinged to the chest, the hinge pins being made detachable so that they can be easily removed.

In my improved body construction the front seat is formed in two parts 31 and 32, which are collapsible and may be folded back under the cowl 33 of the body, thus increasing the available floor space in the interior of the car.

A hinge 34 is placed at the front of the seat portion 31 upon which it swings. A similar hinge 35 is placed at the rear of the seat holding the back portion 32 in position thus permitting it to be folded down against the bottom of the seat 31 when it is to be collapsed.

I provide a detachable arm or brace 36 to hold the seat 31 and the back 32 firmly in position when not used. These arms or braces 36 are made detachable and may be -lifted OK. A key hole slot being formed in the ends of the arms or braces through which a flat headed pin may be inserted which when pulled back into the slot will serve to hold the arm or brace firmly in position.

Preferably the containers 17 and 18 are provided with mirrors which may, if desired be made removable thus permitting their use on the table for shaving or other toilet requirements.

I prefer locating the mirror on the inside of the door 19 so that it will not be visible except when the case is open.

The body is made so that it is capable of being placed on any chassis; all that it is necessary to do is to cut through the sill of the old body beneath the front door when by loosening the bolts which hold the body to the chassis, the old body can be removed and my convertible camping body mounted in its place. In this way the body with which the car is originally equipped may be replaced whenever desired.

Of course, where my convertible camping body is mounted on a new chassis, the entire cowl and body will be built as one as in any other automobile.

It may, in some instances be found necessary to provide additional supports for the corners of the top of the car 1n the case of a heavy fall of snow or in case of a wind. storm when the top is up. For this purpose I supply an auxiliary support consisting of posts 37 preferably formed of a light wood having a small pin or peg 38 in each end which is adapted to rest in a socket in the corner of the roof and a corner of the top of the side of the body. These posts are preferably square to provide for securing the square corners of the curtains 25 as shown in Fig. 6.

It will be obvious, however, that these auxiliary supports do not have to be employed, at all times and when not in use they may be wrapped in a small bundle and placed under the longitudinally extending cushions 11 and 12.

It will be apparent from the foregoing description that I have provided self-contained means for converting an automobile into a desirable sleeping compartment with all the necessities for that purpose within the body of the car itself, so that the necessity for I securing a suitable location to stretch a tent from the car body or any of the other numerous devices designed to convert an automobile into a camping outfit is entirely obviated.

Having described my invention what I regard as new and desire to obtain by Letters atent is:

1. The combination with an automobile body of convertible cushions comprising a longitudinallyextendingcushion on each side of said body, a track formed by ashoulder on each of said cushions, a comparatively narrow cushion on said track slidable thereon, a detachable back cushion adapted to slide on said track and means to hold said cushions in position. 1

2. In an automobile body a front seat hinged to the floor, in arrangement to swing forwardly under the cowl, a hinge which 10 connects the back portion to the seat portion, detachable braces to hold said seat and back portions in position and means to lock said braces in position.

In testimony whereof, I have signed the 15 foregoing specification.

LOUIS B. OASSELL. 

